2019 Stanley Cup Odds Tracker

Here are a few notes on the movement of top Stanley Cup contenders as we approach the playoffs:

• [04/15/2019] With the Lightning down 3-0 in their first-round series to the Blue Jackets, the Washington Capitals have become Stanley Cup favorites
• [04/01/2019] At +220 on average, Tampa Bay’s odds are the shortest they have been all year
• [03/13/2019] Winnipeg’s odds continue to get longer as their uneven play continues
• [02/26/2019] After a 4-month hiatus, the Bruins are once again a top-5 cup contender

Top-Ten Stanley Cup Favorites at BetOnline

At the timing of writing, Tampa Bay is down 0-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets. If they’re swept, it will go down as one of the more epic collapses in the history of the National Hockey League. Truly, truly stunning.

• The Bruins, now that they’re (relatively) healthy, are a force to be reckoned with. They’re finally healthy, and their core and depth pose a legitimate threat going forward.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into the playoffs struggling, and they don’t match up well against the Bruins. The Leafs lack elite shutdown defenseman, which bodes poorly for them as they’re staring down the best line in hockey in the Bergeron-Marchand-Pastrnak trio. Without home-ice advantage to boot and Nazem Kadri, they’re certainly major underdogs in their impending first-round matchup.
• The Calgary Flames look unstoppable, with Mark Giordano looking like he’ll win his first Norris at 35 and the Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm trio ranking among the leagues best line. Despite being 1-1 in their series with the Avalanche, Mike Smith (?!?!) is playing absolutely out of his mind right now. If they continue to get outstanding goaltending, the Flames are tough to beat.
• The Jets, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, represent Canada’s best hope for a cup in 2019. They’ve got an army of good players. Jets’ hopeful prayers that Patrik Laine ditches Fortnite and learns to play hockey again have been answered.
• The Predators aren’t getting a lot of love, but there’s no question that on paper, they’re well-set for another deep run in the playoffs. They picked up Mikael Granlund, Brian Boyle, and Wayne Simmonds at the deadline. They’re all in.

Teams Searching for Their First Cup

Here’s a list of the NHL teams without an etching on the Stanley Cup:

Team	Years in the NHL	Cup Final Appearances	Closest They’ve Come
Vancouver Canucks	48	3	Game 7 Cup Final losses in both 2011 and 1994. No one in Vancouver will ever forget LaFayette’s post or the ensuing riots.
Buffalo Sabres	48	2	Game 6 in 1999. Losing in overtime, no thanks to Brett Hull’s foot in the crease.
San Jose Sharks	27	1	Game 6 in 2016. They’ve never been able to shed their label as chokers.
Nashville Predators	20	1	Game 6 in 2017. Nashville fans still rue the bad call on Sissons’ go-ahead goal.
Ottawa Senators	26	1	Game 5 in 2007. A heartbreaking series for that culminated in the infamous Emery-Phillips mixup.
Vegas Golden Knights	1	1	Game 5 in 2018. Luca Sbisa hands the game to Lars Eller to end the Knights historic run.
St. Louis Blues	52	3	The St. Louis Blues got swept in the finals in three consecutive years, in 1968, 1969, and 1970.
Florida Panthers	25	1	Swept by Colorado in 1996, despite the year of the rat.
Arizona Coyotes	22	0	Lost in 5 games to the LA Kings in 2012. Dustin Brown isn’t admired by Glendale faithful.
Winnipeg Jets	24 (1979-1996, 2011-2018)	0	Defeated by the LA Kings in 5 games in 2018. Canada’s best hope was no match for Ryan Reaves’ heroics.
Minnesota Wild	18	0	Swept in the 2003 Conference Finals. Despite a disappointing playoff history, they did end Patrick Roy’s career in spectacular fashion.
Columbus Blue Jackets	18	0	The Jackets have only won 4 playoff games in their history, 2 in 2014 and 2 in 2018. They probably beat the Caps if not for Lars Eller’s shin, though.

Top Canadian Teams

No Canadian team has won since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993, but 2019 looks like a promising year for the 26-year drought to come to an end. The Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Winnipeg Jets are all the real deal.

• The Winnipeg Jets ran out of gas against the Vegas Knights in the conference finals this year, but they looked unbeatable for vast stretches of the 2018 postseason. With their young guns only trending upwards and deadline pickup Kevin Hayes drastically improving their depth at center, we’d give Winnipeg the best chances of ending Canada’s 24-year cup drought. Down 2-1 to St. Louis, the Jets still have an excellent chance to beat the Blues.
• As you may have predicted, things have gotten downright nasty between the Leafs and the Bruins. The series is tied 1-1, but Toronto looks to have come unglued. It’s early, but Toronto is going have to show a lot of resolve to beat the Bruins and their outstanding leadership group.
  

  Team	Stanley Cups	Finals Appearances	Last Championship	Last Finals Appearance
  Montreal Canadiens	24	33	1993	1993
  Toronto Maple Leafs	13	21	1967	1967
  Edmonton Oilers	5	7	1990	2006
  Calgary Flames	1	3	1989	2004
  Vancouver Canucks	0	2	N/A	2011

Eastern Conference

Metropolitan Division

The Metropolitan Division boasts two perennial powerhouses in the east: the Washington Capitals, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not to mention the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are going for it this season after a very flashy trade deadline. The division boasts 3 of the top 4 active playoff performers in the NHL in Ovechkin, Crosby, and Malkin. All three of them have Conn Smythe trophies, to boot.

• The Washington Capitals are in their spring 2018 form thus far in the playoffs. They got the solid right-handed defender they needed at the deadline in Nick Jensen, and they’re heading into the 2019 playoffs with nearly exactly the same roster as their 2018 team (minus Jay Beagle). The Capitals currently have the shortest odds across online sportsbooks and for a good reason.
• Let’s hold our breath for Jarmo Kekalainen’s Blue Jackets. They look poised to sweep the 62-win Tampa Bay Lightning. After completely sending it at the deadline with the acquisitions of Keith Kinkaid, Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, and Adam Mcquaid, Columbus is a group that’s coalesed at the right time. They’ve got 2 picks in 2019 draft, so let’s hope the Jackets squeeze in for the sake of Ohio faithful’s sanity.

Team	Stanley Cups	Finals Appearances	Last Championship	Last Finals Appearance
Washington Capitals	1	2	2018	2018
Pittsburgh Penguins	5	6	2017	2017
New York Rangers	4	11	1994	2014
New York Islanders	4	5	1983	1984
New Jersey Devils	3	5	2003	2012

Atlantic Division

Outside of the Bruins, Lightning, and Leafs, the Atlantic division is totally irrelevant in a discussion of potential Stanley Cup Favorites. The Panthers looked to be strong contenders for a playoff berth, but they’ve turned out to be an utter disaster, with several boat anchors playing big roles on their roster. Also, turns out relying on 41 year Roberto Luongo to stop the puck wasn’t such a good idea, after all.

• The Atlantic division starts and stops with the Tampa Bay Lightning. At least it did. For every record they set in the regular season, they’ve had a collapse of absolutely epic proportions in the playoffs.

Team	Stanley Cups	Finals Appearances	Last Championship	Last Finals Appearance
Toronto Maple Leafs	13	21	1967	1967
Boston Bruins	6	19	2011	2013
Tampa Bay Lightning	1	2	2004	2015
Detroit Red Wings	11	24	2008	2009
Montreal Canadiens	24	33	1993	1993

Western Conference

Pacific Division

In the offseason, the Pacific Division didn’t project to be very strong in 2018-2019, with Vegas being the only expected Cup Contender. After the Sharks acquired Erik Karlsson, things changed quickly, and they became eminently relevant once again.

• The Sharks and Flames look equally dangerous, but both have some serious questions marks in net. Martin Jones sits on a .849 through three games, while Mike Smith sports a .954. If these trends in net continue, that’s all you’ll need to know.
• Vegas’ odds are around what they should be, that of a mid-tier contender. Yes, even with Mark Stone.  They’re still a good team, but bookmakers are clueing into the fact that they’re going to have a tough time repeating last year’s success. However, they are up 2-1 in the first round.
  

  Team	Stanley Cups	Finals Appearances	Last Championship	Last Finals Appearance
  Anaheim Ducks	1	2	2007	2007
  LA Kings	2	3	2014	2014
  San Jose Sharks	0	1	N/A	2016
  Vegas Golden Knights	0	1	N/A	2018
  Edmonton Oilers	5	7	1990	2006

Central Division

The Central Division boasts some strong teams, headlined by powerhouses in Nashville and Winnipeg. Heading into the season, you’d think it was a shame only 5 teams from the Central could make the playoffs because all 8 of these teams look like they’ll have a legitimate shot to enter the postseason in 2018-2019.

• For all the hype Nashville got in the preseason, they’ve frankly looked unspectacular all season. Their center depth in Johnansen-Turris-Bonino-Boyle was once regarded as one of their key strengths but now looks like their chief weakness. Will they turn it on in the postseason? Tied at 1-1, time will tell.
• Winnipeg is a great bet to come out of the Central Division. They’ve got both Byfuglien and Morrissey back, two huge difference makers.
• St. Louis looks, well, to be on the rebound. Led by Jordan Binnington’s heroics, they’re currently up 2-1 on the Jets in their first-round series.
  

  Team	Stanley Cups	Finals Appearances	Last Championship	Last Finals Appearance
  Chicago Blackhawks	6	13	2015	2015
  St. Louis Blues	0	3	N/A	1970
  Colorado Avalanche	2	2	2001	2001
  Dallas Stars	1	4	1999	2000
  Nashville Predators	0	1	N/A	2017

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Looking for past seasons?

• 2018 Stanley Cup Odds Tracker